Chapter Eight: A Rocky Start
Hey guys, IcyAngels here, and I first off, I feel the need to formally apologize. The last time I updated this series was over four months ago, and since then, I have disappeared off the face of the planet. There has been no activity on my Facebook, YouTube, or FanFiction profiles since then and I feel like I've done you guys a great disservice. Ffs, I didn't even wish you guys a Merry Christmas or anything! You guys are loyal and have stuck by me through thick and thin, even when I take forever to update. And now here we are, New Year's Eve, less than an hour until that New York City ball drops, and I'm back. Yes, I have been busy with school, being in things like Drama, QuizBowl, Key Club, etc. which do take up a fair amount of my time, but it still doesn't excuse not updating for over four months. So again, I apologize, and I understand if many people are no longer following the story because of it. But nevertheless, let's get to the reviews from such a long time ago!
The Legendary Falcon Fall: Ah, yes, Harold. Thanks for the review!
Pokerox27: Yeah, a second TD season would be pretty hard for me lol. That series was a lot of fun and I don't regret doing it, but I think it completely sucked my creativity dry, which might be one of the reasons why I procrastinate on writing so much. And a Harry Potter story would be interesting. I might consider doing one once I get back in to my writing mojo. Thanks for the review!
ZIAH THE HEDGEHOG: Thanks for the review! Doing whatever I want is usually what I do anyway lol.
Martyn: Thanks for the suggestions!
Matthew Garner: Trust me, I don't like waiting either lol. Unfortunately I keep people waiting a lot though :/ But thanks for the review!
UpbeatButNegative: Ah, Upbeat, aren't your reviews a sight for sore eyes! And yes, I did draw some inspiration from what Red would do for the silent scene lol. It's a different twist on writing battle scenes. And yeah, sorry about the typos/grammar issues lol. I try to keep those to a minimum. And about the realism, that is one of the things I enjoy about fanfiction. The anime and the games tend to show the Pokemon world as an easy thing to live in, when in fact it would not be that simple. Thanks again for the review!
Gabiola652: Oh yeah, all of you guys in the Petches chat think I'm dead lol…don't tell the others I'm alive though. It can be our little secret ;) Thanks for the compliments and the review!
TheArtSmartQueen: Yeah, a lot of people want me to finish Seven Worlds lol…I might get around to it eventually. Thanks for the review!
Crepo the Porcupine: Thanks for the review!
Glimpse the Hedgehog: Petch…you're a bucket of AIDS. Go work the corner more so you can pay them college debts :P
FlygonNick: Sorry you don't like the Kingdom Hearts names lol. But your second thing is explained a bit better in this chapter. Glad you're enjoying it, and thanks for the review!
Kirbysage18: Shoot, you think I'm dead too…don't tell the others that I live ;)
Gen 3 fan: Crap. I don't remember who did this one…gonna blame it on Gold.
PokeshippingFAB: Glad you read more adventure stories! Hope you've been reading a lot of good ones lately. Thanks for the review!
Again, sorry for not updating for so long, guys. But thanks for the reviews!
"There it is," the researcher said. "The Devon Corporation."
May once again stared at the large building that loomed in front of them. It was easily the biggest building in Rustboro with three floors, the outside separated into two halves by a large, marble beam. She felt her stomach flip; the high maintenance nature of the area made her feel uneasy after the events of yesterday.
Brendan, on the other hand, seemed to have a different idea. "Cool," he whispered.
They headed in to the building, the researcher explaining the various floors. May found herself wrapped in her thoughts again. What could the President possibly want from her? All she had done was save a researcher from an Aqua Grunt, a criminal that apparently none of the town knew about because they were too involved with the latest gossip. What could he possibly give to help her in her current situation?
The researcher spoke up, snapping her out of her thoughts. "And here's our third floor, where the president is." The group walked over to a room at the very end of the hall, a mahogany door cracked open just a bit. He knocked on it. "Mr. Stone, the, uh…Trainer that saved the Devon Gods is here to see you."
"Well, let them in, then," a deep voice said from the other side of the door. As May walked in in front of Brendan, she noticed one primary factor: minerals. And a lot of them. Rocks from different places were everywhere, sitting in display cases, on shelves, even the president's desk. The president himself was sitting at the desk, his light blue steel hair smoothed back in to an octagon shape. He was in his 50s, his face carved from old age. His indigo business suit matched his pants. He smiled and looked at Brendan. "So, I hear that you saved my assistant from an Aqua Grunt!"
"Um, actually, that would be her," Brendan said. He pointed to May, whose face automatically turned red. "She dressed up as me and snuck back in to the city."
The president raised an eyebrow, then laughed. "It seems like everyone wants to sneak around in a disguise these days."
"What do you mean?" May asked.
With a wave of his hand, he dismissed it. "Nothing, nothing. I was just thinking about my son. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Joseph Stone, the president of the Devon Corporation. And in order to thank you both for saving my assistant, I'd like to give you both these." He pulled two black cases out of his desk and handed on to each of them. May opened, it, revealing eight empty slots with different shapes. "Those are Gym Badge cases," he explained. "It's essential for any Trainer that wants to make it to the top."
May looked at the first empty slot, which was shaped like two arrows facing in opposite directions. "But how can I get my first badge if I'm not even supposed to be in Rustboro?"
The president pressed a button on a device on his desk, activating the intercom. "Sally, get the head of the Rustboro Police Department on the line, please. I'd like to see if I can get them to 'unbanish' someone from this town."
"How are you going to do that?" Brendan asked.
Mr. Stone laughed. "The power of business, of course! They wouldn't say no to the president of the biggest company in Hoenn. I can convince them that you're innocent, if you're all right with it, May."
She stood in thought for a moment. If it worked, she would be able to get her badge in Rustboro City and continue on with her journey as planned. But at the same time, her conscience screamed against it. She would be getting help from someone, something she despised with a passion. And the people of Rustboro wouldn't react well either. They would think she had gotten away with it because she was Norman's daughter, another thing she would hate being accused of. "…No," she finally said.
"No?" the president repeated.
"Thanks for the offer, but I don't want help," she continued. "Before I was worried because I'm not supposed to be here, but now that I think about it, I don't really care. I'm going to go in to the Rustboro City Gym, and I'm not leaving until I get my badge."
Brendan raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you really want to do this?"
She nodded, then suddenly went quiet. What would her father say about her not listening to the police? If anything, it would hurt their family's reputation even more. But then again, if she wanted to prove herself to her father she would need to get Gym Badges so she could challenge him… "Yeah, I'm sure."
"All right, then," Mr. Stone said. "Never mind, Sally," he spoke in to the intercom. He turned it off, then looked back and Brendan and May. "Well, if you're going to keep getting badges, I'd like to ask you both to deliver something for me."
"Sure," May said. "What is it?"
He took two things out from under his desk. The first was a small, white envelope, the edges with light blue lace designs. The second was a small, yet heavy brown package. "I need you to deliver the letter to a man in Dewford named Steven. It's extremely personal, so it's important that it gets to him. The package needs to be delivered to Captain Stern in Slateport City. Can I trust you two with this?"
They both nodded, May taking the letter and Brendan struggling with the box. "We'll deliver them," she replied.
"Great!" Mr. Stone exclaimed. "And good luck getting in to the Rustboro Gym! You'll need it…"
"Thanks, I guess," May said under her breath. "Let's go, Brendan."
"Coming," he grunted, trying to hold the box up.
With a wave, the two left the president's office and took the elevator, allowing Brendan to put the box down for a few minutes. "May, this is a terrible idea. You're not going to be able to walk across the street without someone seeing you. And when you get in to the Gym…"
"I don't have any other choice, Brendan," she said, pressing the 'F1' button on the elevator's panel.
"Yes you did!" Brendan exclaimed. "You could've taken Mr. Stone's offer and just had him get you out of it! Now you'll probably get thrown out of Rustboro again!"
"I'm not going to accept help from anyone," she said stubbornly. "Especially someone with a big name like him. The last thing I need is people saying I get away with stuff just because I'm Norman's daughter."
Brendan kicked the box in frustration, stubbing his toe. "Ow! Who cares what people think?!"
"I usually don't," May said as the elevator started to go down. "But this is a big deal. I want to be a successful Trainer and do it myself. I don't want to live in Norman's shadow. Think about Brendan. If you were to become a researcher, would you just want to be known as you're the professor's son? Or do you want to be known as Brendan Birch?"
"That's a totally different situation!" he exclaimed as he picked up the box. "Even though my dad's a famous researcher, it's still a family business. Why aren't you and your dad the same way?"
The elevator opened, allowing the two to walk out and in to the lobby. "Because I want to be more than just a Gym Leader," she said, turning to face him. "Look, being one seems like a big deal, but in the grand scheme of everything it really isn't. You're only one peg higher than the Trainers that people have to battle before they can battle you. You have almost no impact on the League's decisions and you're either bored by weak Trainers or stressed about running in to too many strong ones. You know what happens if they lose more than three times in a row? They're stripped of their position. And even if I wanted to be a Gym Leader, it could never be a family thing. We'd be competing against each other for higher rankings. That's not how it should be."
"So what are you trying to accomplish?" he asked. "Are you trying to become Champion? You know if you lose once, it's over. And it's probably a lot more stressful than being a Gym Leader."
She sighed. "I don't necessarily want to become Champion. But if it's what it takes to get my father's respect, it's worth it. Besides, even if I did lose my position, I'd be set for life. Past Champions are still treated with a lot of respect."
"Maybe that's true," Brendan replied. "But you realize what happens if you don't defeat the Rustboro Gym Leader in two tries, right? You aren't allowed to challenge it again. Meaning you can't get in to the League and your reputation would be damaged even more…"
"It's better than doing nothing," she said, then turned towards the exit. "C'mon. I have a Gym Badge to win."
…
Brendan groaned, the weight of the box he was carrying making him feel like his arms were slowly being ripped off. The two walked across the street, trying to avoid stares from the very few people that were out and about. For some reason, the town seemed…quiet. Desolate, even.
"Where is everyone?" May asked, scanning the windows of various buildings. No one seemed to be in any of them. Shops were anything but busy, and anyone that was out seemed to be heading in the same direction they were, just taking a different route.
Brendan shrugged, or attempted to, anyway, but struggled with the heavy box. "Not sure." He gestured to a building a few yards away from them. "That's the Gym, though."
Turning to look at it, May could see that it was surrounded by hundreds of people. They were crowding the windows and doors, trying to get a look inside. A man in overalls was trying to keep the doors locked, presumably Gym Guide Clyde. Gabby and Ty were standing outside of the building, Ty with that dreaded camera and Gabby with her stupid microphone.
"Apparently there's a heated match going on inside the Rustboro City Gym, folks," Gabby said enthusiastically. "Spectators have confirmed that Gym Leader Roxanne is fighting Lass Tiana, the girl who was punched in the face by Gym Leader Norman's daughter just yesterday. She had a following from the Trainer School, but it has definitely grown since yesterday's events. May, on the other hand, was last seen walking in to the Devon Corporation with a researcher and Brendan Birch, the son of the much respected professor from Littleroot. Speaking of which, Brendan was also seen saving Mr. Briney's Wingull and helping catch a Wingull. It keeps us wondering why such a heroic Trainer would keep travelling with someone like May."
"It keeps me wondering why this place doesn't have anything better to report on," May mumbled. The two were now hidden behind a tree near the Gym, avoiding people as much as possible. "Seriously. There's one Gym Battle and the entire town shows up for it."
"So how are you going to get in there?" Brendan asked.
She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'll wait for people to start leaving before I go in there. Then I can get my Gym badge and we never have to come back to this place again."
"Wait a minute," Brendan said suddenly. "What about my Gym Badge? I got a case too."
"Maybe you should go first, then," she replied. "That gives people more time to leave before anyone sees me. Then we can leave."
Before Brendan could respond, the doors of the Gym opened, forcing people to back away again. A Lass with brown hair stepped out, her eyes closed and her head held high. Both people and the media (meaning Gabby and Ty) began bombarding her with questions. She suddenly smiled, then raised a closed fist in to the air. With the exception of her index finger and thumb, she opened it, revealing a shiny badge underneath. It was the colors of both rust and sand, the colors separated in to different segments of the opposite arrows. The crowd around her cheered as she placed it in to her badge case with a smirk.
"Of course she's trying to get badges too," May growled. She turned to Brendan. "You should go out there now."
He shook his head. "Not a good idea. People will see me and know that you're lurking somewhere."
"You can just lie and say we aren't traveling together anymore," she countered. "If you go now, you can steal her spotlight and knock down that ego of hers. Just be the cocky dork that you are."
"Hey!" Brendan rolled his eyes, then placed the box he had been holding down. "Fine. But this can't end well." He stood up from behind the tree, then weaved his way in to the crowd. The cheers for Tiana gradually died down as he passed people before placing himself in front of the Gym right next to her.
Tiana rolled her eyes. There was now a dull murmur in the crowd, Gabby and Ty quickly making their way up to the two. The Lass turned to Brendan. "What are you doing here? And where's that stupid girlfriend of yours?"
"She's not my girlfriend," he said. "I'm here to challenge the Rustboro Gym. And I bet I can do ten times better than you did."
May nodded from behind the tree. "Good. Now don't make any stupid comments about her being a girl…"
"You probably just scraped by," Brendan said with a smirk. "You are a girl, after all. There's no way you're a good Trainer!"
From her hiding spot, May facepalmed. "Never mind, you naïve idiot…"
There was an uproar of tension in the crowd, multiple women getting upset by his comment. "And Brendan Birch makes a very sexist comment," Gabby said, turning to the camera. "Maybe there is a reason why he's still travelling with May after all."
Tiana scoffed at him, not caring at all. "Keep on thinking that and you'll be stuck with May for the rest of your life. Speaking of her, I bet she's lurking around here somewhere…" She searched through the crowd for her rival. May stiffened from behind the tree, trying to make herself as small as possible. Tiana eventually found her, however, grabbing her arm and yanking her out of her hiding spot. "Found her!"
The entire crowd broke out in anger and confusion, many people yelling. Gabby and Ty rushed over to May, ready to pound her with questions. "May, how does it feel not having your father respond to your actions from yesterday? And how did you get back in to Rustboro City?"
"May!" Brendan yelled, running to her side. He stood in front of the camera, blocking its view. "Will you leave her alone?!"
"Don't try to protect me, Brendan," she said, pushing him out of the way. "Do you want to know how I feel? I feel like this region is bored out of its mind since it sent you two to do news on me! Don't you have dirt to get on other people?!"
"STOP!"
The entire crowd suddenly went silent, turning to face the entrance of the Gym. A girl about the age of 15 stood in the doorway, wearing a brown dress and shoes, her legs covered by pink stockings. Her brown hair was pulled back in to a bow like shape, covered in the back by a jagged, pink bow. She made her way through the crowd, people moving out of the way for her. She addressed Tiana as soon as she reached the three Trainers. "You've already got your badge. Any particular reason why you're still here?"
"She—" Tiana began, but the other girl cut her off.
"I'm not talking about her. I'm talking about you. Now if you're just going to stay here to cause trouble, I'd suggest you leave."
The Lass seemed stunned for a moment, then flicked her hair in annoyance. "Whatever. I didn't want to stay around this deadbeat place, anyway. I hope you lose, May." She then walked away, purposely knocking in to May's shoulder before finally leaving.
Gabby turned to the camera. "Well, it looks like Rustboro's Gym—"
"Shut the camera off," the girl said, then turned to May and Brendan. "Now, I can only take one more challenge today since my Pokemon are getting worn out. Which one of you is it going to be?"
May looked at her rival. Her time in Rustboro was definitely running out. The police would surely show up again at any second, and it was surprising that they hadn't already. Brendan seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"You do it, May," he said. "I can always come back later."
"Good," the other girl stated. "Now let's go in to the Gym." Making her way through the crowd again, she led the two Trainers inside. The crowd broke in to an outrage, again, angered by May's entrance in to the Gym.
"Why are you letting her in?!"
"You're a Gym Leader! You're supposed to follow the rules and set an example!"
"What kind of person would let her in to their Gym?!"
"STOP!" she yelled again, shutting the crowd up. "I'm the Gym Leader here. Not you, or you, or you. Me. So, if the police don't want her in my Gym, they can come talk to me about it! Understood?!" She didn't wait for a response. "Let's go." The three of them stepped in to the Gym's foyer, the only one inside being Gym Guy Clyde.
"Media making people stupid, Roxanne?" the man in overalls asked.
She sighed, forcing the doors closed behind her. "As always, Clyde." She smiled and turned to May. "So, a Gym Battle, huh? We can do that."
Brendan raised an eyebrow. "You know, that was a pretty strict attitude you had out there."
She shrugged. "I'm the top student at the Pokemon Trainer School and I have to watch over the little kids sometimes. Having that attitude helps, and it works on adults too…" she laughed. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Roxanne and I specialize in Rock-type Pokemon. And May…well, I've heard a lot about you. It's probably all exaggerated since Gabby can't always tell it like it is, but, you know. You didn't really punch her in the face, did you?"
"Um…"
Roxanne dismissed it with a wave of a hand. "It's not an issue. Once a Gym Battle starts, the police can't come in and interrupt without one of ours permission."
"I still think getting kicked out of the city is too strong of a punishment," she mumbled under her breath.
The Gym Leader shrugged, pulling down a shade to prevent people from looking in to the Gym. "The Devon Corporation is the biggest company here in Hoenn, so security here is tight. If we were to get robbed, the entire region would go in to debt and Silph Co. in Kanto would get the monopoly over Poke Balls and other things for Trainers. So if they see anyone acting out of line they'll kick them out, even if it's the tiniest thing."
"So if she had punched Tiana in any other city in Hoenn…" Brendan began.
"People would've just been surprised and at the most you would've been escorted out of the building," Roxanne finished. "Oh, and Gabby would be up your butt again."
She rolled her eyes. "But forever? That's still too harsh…"
The Gym Leader shrugged again. "The police here are paranoid about everything. Kicking people out of the city is basically their answer to everything. Anyways, are you ready to battle?"
May looked down at Ventus' Poke Ball, feeling the smooth metal underneath her fingers. "Yeah. I'm ready."
"Great! Clyde, open the doors to the spectators in about five minutes."
"Wait, other people will be watching?!" Brendan asked.
"Of course," Roxanne replied. "They always do. Besides, with your reputation, they'd be worried about you stealing it or something."
May rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. But if one of them reports me to the police, they can't stop us if we're already battling, right?"
"Correct. Those are the League rules. Unless there's an emergency, no interruptions are allowed," she assured. "So, shall we go down to the battlefield?"
She nodded. "Let's go."
…
May stood at one end of the battlefield, rubbing her palms in nervousness. The entire Gym was filled with people, and every single one of them was either cheering for Roxanne or booing her. Minus Brendan, of course, who was sitting in a front row seat about ten yards away from where she was. The battlefield was what she expected from a Rock-type Gym, various boulders and stones scattered throughout the area. White spray paint outlined where they would be battling, creating a basketball court pattern. Gym Guy Clyde stood in the referee box, on the outer part of the left side of the field.
"This'll be a two on two match," he shouted, silencing the crowd. "Only the challenger can switch Pokemon. There will be no interruptions to this battle unless approved by the Gym Leader or challenger. Begin!"
"Geodude, let's roll!" Roxanne shouted. A rock-like Pokemon jumped out of its Poke Ball. It was gray and round, two arms protruding from its sides. Its face had a rock hard expression, as if it was determined to win.
"Pride's on the line, Ventus!" May yelled, throwing her Poke Ball. The Treecko jumped out, landing on one of the many rocks scattered on the field.
"You have the first move," the Gym Leader said.
"Right. Ventus, start out with Quick Attack!"
The wood gecko, launched itself off of the rock, jumping from boulder to boulder to reach the Geodude. It rolled through the battlefield at a surprisingly fast rate, able to dodge Ventus' attacks with ease.
Roxanne grinned. "Geodude's pretty much memorized the battlefield since it's been here for so long. Now use Rock Throw to throw Treecko off!"
Seemingly out of nowhere, large rocks formed in Geodude's palms. It threw them in various areas of the field, causing Ventus to run in to a few. The rock-type hid itself among a few boulders, disguising itself as a regular rock.
"It has to move eventually," May said, gritting her teeth. "Use Absorb to find it!"
Ventus sprang in to action, its tail lighting up with a familiar green energy. It smashed it against all of the rocks in the area, all of which disintegrated. Noticing one of them move ever so slightly, Ventus struck it with its tail, absorbing its energy and causing Geodude to cry out in pain.
"Gotcha!" May shouted. "Now use Mega Drain to finish it off!"
"Use Defense Curl to roll out of the way!" Roxanne yelled.
The Geodude swiftly dodged the attack, causing everyone in the stands to cheer. May gritted her teeth. It was fast for a Rock-type, and combined with its ability to blend in to the battlefield easily, it was extremely hard to hit. "We'll just have to be quicker," she said to herself. "Ventus, go for another Quick Attack, and don't let it dodge!"
Leaping to its feet as soon as the command left May's mouth, the Treecko sped towards the Geodude as fast as possible, landing a solid Quick Attack. The Geodude seemed unscathed, causing everyone in the crowd except Brendan to cheer.
"Between it being not very effective and the Defense Curl, physical attacks aren't going to do anything for it," he said to Sora, who sat on his shoulder. "But that speed might make it difficult for Ventus to use any special attacks…"
"Wonderful job, Geodude!" Roxanne exclaimed. "Now go for a Rock Tomb to slow it down!"
The Geodude nodded, then jumped up on to one of the rocks in the battlefield. Raising its hands, it created multiple large boulders that floated in the air above it. With one huge effort, it flung them all at Ventus at once, crushing it underneath the weight of the rocks.
"Ventus!" May screeched. She ran in to the battlefield, causing Clyde to blow his whistle and for confused murmurs to go throughout the stadium. But May didn't care about either. All she could picture in her mind was Ventus' mangled body crushed by the boulders, just as Pink's was in Rusturf Tunnel.
"May!" Brendan shouted, hopping out from the stadium. "May, Ventus is fine, it just—"
But she wasn't listening, quickly removing the boulders from the pile. "Please be okay, please be okay," she whispered, her voice becoming more panicked with every second that went by. When she finally had removed ever rock, she found Ventus on the ground, a little scratched up but still all right. "It's fine…?"
"The challenger has interfered and moved into the battlefield during the match, therefore Gym Leader Roxanne wins by default!" Clyde shouted. The crowd cheered, celebrating Roxanne's victory and laughing at how May had led herself to her own loss.
"What got in to you?" Brendan asked, kneeling down next to her.
May shook her head, picking up Ventus. "I don't know, but when that Rock Tomb hit, it was exactly like in Rusturf Tunnel when those boulders landed on Pink and it terrified me that another one of my Pokemon was hurt because of me again…"
The crowd's laughter at May was only getting louder and louder, causing Roxanne to step in. "Hey!" she shouted. "The challenger lost. Just because this is a girl you saw on the BuzzNav it doesn't mean you have to be mean spirited about her loss. She's just like any other competitor."
"She shouldn't even be in Rustboro!" one woman shouted from the stands.
"I can't believe a Gym Leader is even allowing this match to happen in the first place!" a man yelled.
Gabby turned to the camera, a microphone in her hand as usual. "And here in Rustboro City, there's an uproar in Roxanne's Gym over May's match. In the middle of the battle, this punching Trainer jumped in without any rhyme or reason. And to make matters worse, the Gym Leader seems to be defending her actions! Things are really heating up no—"
"All right, that's enough," Brendan said, approaching her and Ty. He snatched the microphone out of her hands and looked straight in to the camera. "I am Brendan Birch from Littleroot Town and I say that this TV station has literally nothing important to report on. And I'm also here to challenge Roxanne to a Gym battle tomorrow morning for my own badge and to redeem May's honor—"
"Brendan, what are you doing?!" May yelled from her place on the battlefield. "I don't need you to redeem anything! You're making this entire situation worse by dragging yourself in to this too!"
Gabby snatched the microphone back, shoving Brendan out of the frame. "You heard it here first, folks! Professor Birch's son is going to defend May's honor tomorrow morning right here! We'll be sure to get you all the live footage. This is Gabby, signing off."
Brendan could feel May glaring at him from thirty feet away. It wasn't the most pleasant feeling.
The next 24 hours were going to be rough.
Okay, it is currently 52 minutes away from 2016, and I still have proofread this thing, so I'll make this short and sweet: QOTW: What is your New Year's Resolution? Mine is to procrastinate less. That was my resolution for last year too, and that epically failed. But maybe this year I can pull my crap together. Tell me in the reviews, and feel free to review in general! Though I can understand if you don't want to due to my absence. Smell ya later and have a Happy New Year (and may it be shiny too)!